Raw recruits to handle FOI requests

Our spies have been to Kew this week to find our what they could in advance
of the first release of 1911 Census information on Wednesday 17 January. Here's
what they told us:

"Apparently the staff who are going to be researching the census are all
new recruits - in fact they only started work on Monday 8 January!

"Although we tried to obtain a copy of the web form that members of the
public will need to complete we were unsuccessful, and it seems it may not be
available until 17 January. However, we understand that by submitting a request
now under the existing procedure for Freedom of Information requests it could be
possible to get preferential treatment."

Information requested under the Freedom of Information Act must be provided
within 20 working days. There is an explanatory leaflet on the National Archives
site here.

Information provided under the Freedom of Information Act is available not
just to the applicant, but also to the general public, and will be available for
inspection at Kew in the the Reading Room. We are currently looking at ways in
which as transcript could be made available online (as we understand it images
of the census pages are Crown Copyright).

Census to be released early!

The 1911 Census of England & Wales was taken on 2 April 1911, and until
December 2006 it was not anticipated that the information would be made publicly
available until January 2012. Indeed, as recently as September 2006 the National
Archives posted an article confirming the 2012 date.

However, on 13 December 2006 the National Archives issued a press
release announcing that following a determination under the Freedom of
Information Act, most of the information from the 1911 Census will be made available
online in 2009.

Until then an emergency service will be offered from 17 January 2007 whereby information from a
specific address will be supplied at a cost of 45 pounds, which is the standard
research fee. Until the census has been digitized it will not be possible to
search by name.

There is currently no information about the 1911 Census of Scotland, but the
release date is not expected to be affected.

What is available now?

Statistical information from the 1911 Census is available at the Vision of
Britain site - click here
to see the relevant page (it will open in a new window).

The 1911 Census for Ireland was released some time ago, and can be
inspected in Dublin. However there is a project to put both the 1901 and 1911
Censuses of Ireland online, and it is anticipated that this will commence during
2007.

When will more news be available?

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1911 Census Info is completely independent of
the National Archives and the Office of National Statistics; information is
provided in good faith and we cannot accept any liability for errors or
omissions